The problem with the story is that it bears a remarkable similarity to a scene from a television programme called One Foot in the Grave, where Victor Meldrew suffers the exact same fate as the unnamed union official in Little’s story. Read more »

Two of Labour’s strongest affiliate unions are joining together to create a super union…well a bigger union than the hollow shells they are now.

What is funny is watching left-wingers use the same justifications for the super-city to create their Uber-union

The old adage of strength in numbers is the main driver behind the proposed merger between two of New Zealand’s larger unions.

In July, the potential combination of the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) with the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) will be put to the vote at a national conference and if it gets the thumbs up there, the memberships of both groups will then get to have their say.

The merger could result in a more than 50,000 strong union being established, which would make it the second biggest group behind the Council of Trade Unions. The current membership of the SFWU is about 21,000, while the EPMU numbers sit around 32,000.

For diplomatic reasons he might have a big problem with halting the following. MFAT via the NZ Embassy in Washington annually pays US$10k to outfit aspirational rugby players at a charter school in one of DC’s ‘meanest’ suburbs.

The secret was already weighing on him as the team bus pulled out of Washington and headed north.

Tal Bayer, coach of one of the District’s most unlikely athletic success stories, sat at the front, his pale bald head a beacon to his roster of two dozen teenagers. He called them his boys, and the physical expression of their relationship — cleats, gym bags, rugby balls — were strewn all over the bus.

Bayer liked taking his rugby players out of the city, where so many of their lives are defined by struggle. “Every mile you get away from D.C., away from school, from the pressures of home, you can see the kids open up,” he said.

It was early March, and the Pride rugby team was headed to Philadelphia for its first real test of the season. Bayer had been making these trips since founding the program 14 years ago at what was then Hyde Leadership Public Charter and is now Perry Street Prep Public Charter. Pride is one of the only high school squads in the country composed entirely of black players, an inspirational story that in recent years had intrigued documentary filmmakers and Hollywood screenwriters. Read more »

We know the numbers were that light because The Standard started the excuses early on. They ran a mile from the debacle and silly comments from Ms Williams. Old heads like Lynn Prentice know this was a cluster fuck of the highest order for the left.

A number of people have been working very hard on your behalf to ensure you receive the best information available from your unions. We have received major criticism for our persistence in these matters but we are now able to provide you with your correct financial information.

We are not looking for a thank you or anything – we just want you to have the best. For the Owl I believe in process and a great advocate for members. Just like you pay money into kiwi saver there is governing laws around protecting your investment. Unions are incorporated societies and your investment needs to be protected as well. Failure to disclose is a serious matter.

The Owl has tabled a comparison of what was originally filed by your Union in 2011 and what the actual true figures were.

Please note that your Union auditors have stated that in their report “Also we have not been able to obtain sufficient audit evidence regarding revenues and expenses relating to Hawera Sub-Branch and 2010 comparatives of Otago Southland Branch”. These are not our words but your auditors.

The Owl does not dig around in rubbish bins for scandals and only uses information freely available in the public domain. I suggest members write to their Union and seek clarification on any matters.